


A Twisted Kind of Santa

by Adder24



Category: Original Work
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Jim Caviezel - Freeform, New York City, Reaper - Freeform, Reese Orson, Santa Clause, Thor Bear, relic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 01:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13135956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adder24/pseuds/Adder24
Summary: Alice is heading home for Christmas but it means leaving behind Orson, who starts to miss her terribly but after a heart to heart with the boss, Orson discovers a way to get to Alice. He heads back to the apartment that night with a mission to don the red and white hat and surprise Alice.





	A Twisted Kind of Santa

It was an easy decision to make for Alice. To return home to her homeland for Christmas and spend time with her family, who had moved back there recently. There was a lot to catch up on, stories to tell, people to meet and for the first time in a long while, she would be spending Christmas with her family, something she had not done in some time. However it did mean that she would have to leave someone behind for a couple of weeks, not because she didn’t want him to come but more like he had work commitments, which was unfortunate but she was understanding, so to compensate she allowed him to stay at her apartment while she was away, just to keep an eye on things and put her mind at ease.

She came into the apartment after her last shift at work before her Christmas break, holding two bags filled with seasonal gifts from Lauren and various other people working at the office. Orson was in the kitchen prepping dinner for them both, a smirk on his lips as he noticed Alice placing the bags up on the coffee table.

“You got enough room in your suitcase for those?” He asked  
“Hell no. I’ll have to open these when I get back. Anyway what are you cooking big guy? Smells good!”  
“Home made lasagne. Thought you could have one last decent meal before you fly”  
“You make it sound like the last supper” Alice joked as she took her coat off and hung it up “I’m only going to be gone for two weeks and I promise you I will be well looked after and fed”  
“Still won’t stop me missing you”  
“Oh no, you’re going soft”  
“Oh no, I have developed a heart”

Alice chuckled and went into her bedroom to check her luggage while Orson checked on the lasagne. It was cooked and ready for serving so Orson turned off the oven and let it finish in the heat, giving him time to set the table and smarten himself up. Once Alice had done her last bits of packing, Orson served up the dinner and both of them sat down to eat, both of them talking about their day and the plans Alice had for her trip home, she was excited as she spoke fondly of the family traditions done over Christmas, small things like an open fire that burns throughout the day, the queen's speech, watching a christmas special of a man in a phonebox travelling through space and time and the after dinner naps, little things that gave her nostalgia and Orson could see how much these little things meant to her and the excitement of reliving them.

After an hour, they were done with eating, Alice had gathered her things for her flight and was waiting anxiously for her taxi to come and collect her.

“What time is your flight?” Orson asked  
“Eleven”  
“And what time will you land?”  
“Five in the morning here, Ten in the Morning UK time. Don’t worry I’ll drop you a message when I board and when I have landed AND when I get home”

She smiled sweetly at him as he walked over and gave her a bear hug, wrapping his arms around her tightly,not wanting to let her go and she in return buried her face in his chest as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“I’m going to miss you” He said softly  
“I’m going to miss you too big guy, stay out of trouble okay?”  
“I’ll do my best”

A car horn honked from outside, Alice looked out and saw the Taxi waiting for her. They said their goodbyes, Orson carried her things down to the taxi and put them in the boot. She got in the back, said her goodbyes and headed towards the airport.

The next five days proved testing for Orson. He would go to work as normal but when he returned to her apartment, it felt empty and still. He’d combat this by playing some music, putting the TV on or playing some video games. Lauren would pop in to check on him and spend time with him as Alice requested and sometimes Orson would go out with his other Reapers to pass the time but when it came to going to bed, that was when he missed her the most. He’d stay up and tell her stories till she fell asleep, he would lay beside her and hold her if she wanted to be held and sometimes he’d lay on the floor and listen to her talk. Without her by his side, he was finding it difficult to fall asleep. Of course he and Alice would speak when they could over video messaging but it wasn’t the same. He didn’t think it was possible for him to miss someone as much as he was missing Alice and it confused him somewhat.

Before he knew it Christmas eve was upon him but Orson wasn’t feeling the festive spirit of Christmas, Alice would have probably ensured that he would be in the spirit of the season if she was here but without her he was finding it difficult. To him it was just another day but little did he know, Alice had pre-arranged for him to go out that night for Christmas drinks with Adder, the master Reaper and his boss. She had an inkling that he wouldn’t be feeling very festive while she was away.

They took refuge in a busy Irish bar, just off Times square. It was filled with festive revellers letting their hair down and enjoying themselves. A fun atmosphere, one to lift the spirits. Everyone was crowded round the bar which gave Orson a chance to grab a booth while Adder battled through the crowds of people that crowded the bar, the tall blonde used his english charm to politely push his way to the bar, apologising profusely when he bumped someone and saying “excuse me” or “pardon me” over and over when he needed to get by and it always caused Orson to chuckle with the way he was overly polite but that was the way he was, an old fashioned gentleman, polite, charming and chivalrous. It also made him a hit with the ladies, something a lot of the male reapers were envious of but Orson knew Adder wasn’t really that fond of the attention he got from the women or in some cases the men, he was very much similar to Orson in that sense.

“So how many times did you get groped this time?” Orson asked mockingly as Adder brought over the drinks.  
“Too many...I hate the unwanted attention” He moaned as he put down the whiskey and orange juice “If I wanted the attention I would have invited it but I fail to see how ‘Excuse me madam may I squeeze by’ is seen as an invitation to grope me?”  
“It’s the accent Adder, it does strange things”  
“Well in that case...You surely must be falling for it’s charms yourself”  
“Hate to disappoint you but you do nothing for me Adder”  
“I wasn’t talking about me”

He raised his eyebrows at Orson and gave him a knowing look as he slowly passed a glass of whisky to Orson and then sat across from him, watching him, reading his reactions and even now he was picking up on the fact that Orson was trying to hide something from him.

“You’re missing her” Adder said matter of factly  
“I’m not, it’s just quiet that’s all”  
“I wasn’t born yesterday Orson.”

Orson huffed and took a sip of whiskey before he looked around the busy bar, avoiding Adder’s gaze and having to explain himself but Adder wasn’t stupid, he knew when one of his reapers were “off” and Orson knew that Adder had picked up on a difference in behaviour and it was his duty to get to the bottom of the behavioural shift, it didn’t need a genius to figure out why he was a little down, even if he did refuse to believe it.

“See, usually when your performing your duties, you’re on the ball, you’re sharp, quick and alert but since Alice has been gone, you’ve become distant, you’re not focused and you have made some errors, not big ones admittingly but enough to make me worry. So it’s my duty as master to get to the bottom of this. Are you missing her?”

Orson turned his head to look at him as his fingers started to tap along the side of the whiskey glass as a means to calm his nerves.

“You got me” He said calmly “I miss her”  
“I had a hunch” Adder replied “But what I can’t get my head around is why you didn’t go with her”  
“Because she wanted to be with her family. I’d only be intruding. So I agreed to stay back and house sit over Christmas, give her one less thing to stress about”

Adder took a gulp of his Orange juice and smiled a little 

“And everyone says I'm the gent”  
“Then I guess I learn from the best”

Both men chuckled then, Orson knocked back the rest of his whisky as Adder gulped down his Orange juice and started to play with the glass, sliding it along the table as he passed it from hand to hand.

“You can go and visit her you know”

Orson shook his head

“I don't want to disturb her. I'll be alright, it's just the festive blues. I'll live. Besides….it’ll take six hours to fly there and the chances of getting a flight now are very limited.”  
“Fly? Why would you fly?” Adder asked with a raised eyebrow  
“Well how else am I to get there?”  
“You have a strong bond with her and she trusts you am I correct?”  
“Yes”  
“Then you can shift to her”  
“I don’t know where in England she is, I can’t shift to her if I don’t know where she is”  
“You don’t need to. Just picture her in your mind before you shift and the bond between you should take you to her”  
“And if it don’t?”  
“I’ll let you punch me in the face”

Orson mulled over the thought in his head and then looked down at his watch, it had just gone half seven, which meant over in England it was half past Midnight and there was a slight chance she was still awake.

“I gotta go” Orson said as he quickly got up “If it’s Seven thirty now, It’s twelve thirty in England, Christmas morning. There’s a chance she’s still awake”  
“So are you going to surprise her?” Adder asked  
“Better. I’m going to become Santa Clause”

Adder chuckled

“Go get her big guy”

Orson saluted and shifted out of the bar and back to Alice’s apartment, gathering up the presents she couldn’t take with her and putting them into an old sports bag that she had laying around. He then grabbed a christmas hat from under the tree and it was then he saw a present tucked neatly under the tree, It was a medium sized box, decorated in Christmas superhero paper and a tag dangled over the side. Orson turned it over and noticed it was labelled for him by Alice

“To Orson. First time for everything. Alice x”

He smiled, took the box and packed it into the bag with the others before he pulled the bag onto his shoulders and donned the christmas hat. He then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. In his time as a reaper, this was something he had not done before but, like the message left on the lable, there was always a first time for everything.

“Just think of alice” He said to himself over and over again

He pictured her before him, grasping her longboard, wearing one of a variety of her superhero tops and black jeans. Her hair styled up in a mohawk with a red bandanna around her head, it caused a smile to creep onto his lips and with that thought of her in his head, he shifted and trusted their bond to lead him to her. 

The sounds of New York disappeared, replaced with the sounds of flames and coal cracking under the heat. He could feel the warmth at his legs and could detect the glow of the fire being the only light in the room he had entered. Orson slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room that he found himself in. It was big decorated for the festive season, a garland with lights hung over the fireplace that was on the wall opposite to him, stockings with initials hung from the fireplace and they were filled with small gifts and sweets. He turned around to see an eight foot Christmas tree behind him, adorned with baubles, bells and other festive ornaments while presents sat beneath it’s branches. Orson smiled and then turned back and smiled at the sight before him. It was Alice, laying on the couch, a blanket draped over her as she dozed. He chuckled to himself and took off the bag, placing it down on the ground. He then crept over to her and gently started to stroke her arm to wake her, she started to stirr.

“......Orson?” She said in a half awake daze  
“How did you know?” He replied softly

Alice’s eyes flew open, she quickly rolled onto her back to see him gazing back at her, wearing his usual attire of a long black leather jacket, black jeans and a shirt and surprisingly a Christmas hat adorning his head.

“Orson!” She exclaimed in a hushed voice  
“Surprise”

She paused for a moment, her brain catching up with what was happening. He really was here and it wasn’t a dream. She grinned, leapt off the couch and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she buried her face into his chest, he chuckled and returned the gesture, resting his chin on top of her head.

“How did you get in and more importantly how did you get here? Flight tickets must have been expensive and the flight must have been pretty booked up”  
“I didn’t fly Alice”  
“...You used your reaper powers?”  
“I used my reaper powers...although I might need an energy boost”  
“I know just the thing, wait there”

She grinned and removed herself from the embrace, running into the room next door, while Orson sat down on the couch and enjoyed the warmth of the fire, chuckling as he heard her familiar footsteps coming back into the room as she thrusted a mince pie under his nose.

“As a rule Santa eats Mince pies and since it’s gone midnight and you’ve randomly appeared...I think you class as Santa for one night”

Orson chuckled as he accepted the mince pie and took a bite of the small booze induced fruit pie and he could instantly tell that this particular one was home made, the filling wasn’t as sweet but just as delicious and the pastry was light. A tried and tested family recipe that seemed to be a crowd pleaser and it seemed to hit the spot for Orson.

“This is a mince pie to end all mince pies” Orson said as he took the last mouthful

Alice chuckled and sat down beside him.

“Mum and Dad always make the best mince pies so be honoured, you only get one chance to try them throughout the year”  
“Then I’ll make sure to steal a few before going back”  
“You’re supposed to give presents, not take them Orson”  
“Speaking of presents”

Orson got up off the couch and grabbed the sports bag of presents that were left under the tree, all of them coming from work colleagues and friends. He placed the bag at her feet and sat back down next to her, looking pleased with himself as Alice opened up the bag and checked the contents of the bag.

“You got EVERYTHING from under the tree?” She asked with a chuckle  
“Yes”  
“Including yours?”

It was then the penny dropped. He didn’t bring his because it was too big for the bag and heavy as well, which meant he would have to go back and get it.

“If I go back and get it, will you open it while I am here?” He asked  
“Yes...but what’s the catch?”  
“I’m going to need a lot of sugar”  
“Good job we have a big bag of chocolates then…”  
“Where would I be without you?” He said playfully before he disappeared.

Once he got back to the apartment he went into the bedroom and checked under the bed to see the gift he bought her, it was wrapped up and had a big bow on the top and thankfully she didn’t know it was under her nose the whole time. He pulled it out from under the bed and tucked it under his arm, he then took a deep breath in, closed his eyes and thought of Alice, smiling when he felt the warmth of the fire once again and the shrill of surprise escaping Alice’s lips as he appeared before her.

“You made me jump!”  
“You’re supposed to be asleep”  
“You woke me up Santa clause!”  
“Touche”  
“Wait…..Is that for me?” She asked as she pointed at the present under his arm  
“Yeah, from me to you”  
“......Orson-”  
“Don’t argue. You deserve it for putting up with me and the reapers”

He put it down under the tree and then sat back down on the couch as Alice started to go through the presents in the bag, placing them all under the tree, until she got to the last one and noticed it was her gift to him. She smiled and walked over to him, holding the present out to him.

“I think this one is yours”

He gently took the present and smiled.

“Is this from you?”  
“Yup. You can open it if you want. It is Christmas Morning”

She sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling when she saw the child like smile upon his lips.

“This is the first Christmas, where I have received a present”  
“You mean to say….you reapers don’t exchange gifts?” Alice asked perplexed  
“Nope….we all still have to work at Christmas...and we’re not usually in the mood to exchange gifts and pretend to be jolly when we have had to take away the soul of a beloved. So instead we all gather at Adder’s for a feast and a few drinks, Adder doesn’t drink alcohol but he makes sure there is a supply...so we all get merrily drunk and regret it in the morning”  
“Sounds like an average Christmas without the presents, but this year it’s different….I got you a gift to open and since it is technically Christmas day, why don’t you rip it open?”  
“You sure?”  
“Positive”

Orson grinned and carefully opened up the present, he undone the ribbon that was wrapped around it and and carefully unfolded the paper to find a black box. He carefully removed the top of the box and inside he found a phone, a black one, similar to Alice’s. It was slim, sleek and modern and was still in its packaging. He carefully lifted it out of the box and checked it over, noting where the essential buttons were and more importantly the power button.

“A friend of mine pulled a few strings for me, don’t worry it’s all legal and above board, there’s a sim card in it and you have my number in there and your own….just in case you might want to give your number to anyone”  
“.....So I can keep in touch with you while you’re here?”  
“Yeah...and the others too, Merry Christmas big guy”

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek lightly, which caused him to smile, his cheeks going slightly red. He then put the phone back in the box.

“Well...since I am here, why don’t you open yours from me?” Orson suggested as he handed her the present

Alice carefully inspected the present given. It was long and it was a little heavy, which made Alice raise an eyebrow, the only things that were long and heavy was usually flat pack furniture and as far as she was aware, she wasn’t in need of any new furniture, unless Orson was hiding something from her. She carefully unwrapped the silk bow that was wrapped around the present and put it to one side, she then ripped open the wrapping paper to find a brown unmarked box which caused a giggle to escape.

“Did you go to Ikea?” She asked jokingly  
“Open the box”

Alice shook her head and felt along the box for an opening and then once she found one she carefully opened up the box to find a brand new longboard inside, It had thick wheels that lit up at night and the underside of the board had a Snake painted on it, more importantly though it was an Adder, it’s mouth wide open while it’s body was wrapped around a skull. Alice’s jaw dropped as she looked at Orson.

“Orson-”  
“You’re last one got shot pretty badly and I know you have been missing it, so I bought you a new one...sort of...the trucks I took off the old one, the wheels are new, the deck is new...in fact the deck was plain-”  
“You painted the snake and the skull?!”  
“Yeah...and there is a paw mark on the snake if you look carefully”  
“This is amazing”

She placed the board down and gave him a bear hug to show her thanks, Orson smiled and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder, enjoying her warm embrace and taking in her scent.  
“Merry Christmas” He says softly as Alice buried her head into his chest “I’ve missed you”  
“I’ve missed you too”

They stayed up late, talking about their antics while they were apart from each other, till eventually Alice fell asleep again, Orson smiled and carefully draped a blanket over her before lifting her into his arms, carrying her up the stairs to a room that he guessed was her bedroom, judging by the suitcase that was propped in the corner. He eased her down onto the bed and covered her with the duvet smiling when he noticed her snuggling down but there was something missing and Orson knew exactly what it was. He disappeared for a heartbeat before returning back with the Thor bear, he then took off his Christmas hat and placed it on top of the bears head before tucking the bear under her arm. He smiled and then leaned down and gently planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Merry Christmas little Adder” He said softly

He made sure she was tucked in and comfortable before he took a deep breath and vanished.


End file.
